Timber Guidelines. Our Products and Services

Transcription

1 Timber Guidelines Our Products and Services

2 Contact For further information please contact: Kingfisher plc 3 Sheldon Square, Paddington London W2 6PX +44 (0) Contents 1. Purpose 1 2. Scope 1 3. Acceptable Sources 3 4. Visibility 4 5. Labelling 5 Kingfisher plc 2009

3 Kingfisher Timber Guidelines 1 Timber Guidelines Kingfisher Issue Policy Standard 3: (Timber) outlines our aim to ensure that our wood and paper products come either from proven, well-managed forests or recycled material. Please refer to Kingfisher CR Supporting Policy Standards for our Timber Policy Standard. In line with this aim, the standard to which we will comply is further explained in the Timber Guidelines below. This document acts as a purchasing guide, explains the specific product and supplier requirements and serves as a transparent document for stakeholder interest. 1. Purpose As the leading home improvement retail group in Europe and Asia and the third largest in the world, Kingfisher recognises that a crucial element of continued longterm commercial success will be to ensure that the growth and development of our business is environmentally and socially sustainable. Kingfisher has adopted a Corporate Responsibility Policy which sets strategic goals in key areas. These policy commitments are designed to be implemented throughout the Group and they provide an independently verifiable framework which can be used to monitor progress. Timber accounts for a considerable proportion of the products in our business, therefore the choices we take about the wood products we stock can make an important contribution to the sustainability of the world s forest resources and our effect on climate change. Kingfisher will work with our suppliers, partners, governments and other stakeholders to enable sustainability in our products, thereby making Kingfisher businesses the customer choice for sustainable home improvement products and services. 2. Scope Company This policy applies to the Kingfisher Group whose Operating Companies may develop complimentary policies which strive for the highest standards within the framework of this document but will not aim for lower requirements or accept purchases below the Mandatory Minimum Requirements.

4 2 Kingfisher Timber Guidelines Product for sale This policy and the associated buying guidelines apply to all products made from, or containing wood, or paper that is sold in Kingfisher businesses. This includes for example (but is not exclusive to), the following categories of products: timber and joinery, flooring, bathrooms, kitchens and furniture, shelving and storage, tools, wall coverings, hardware, house wares and lighting, garden sheds, barbecue charcoal and firewood. Product not for sale Beginning with increased visibility of supply chains, Kingfisher will wherever possible apply its timber policy to product packaging materials made from wood fibres, timber construction projects for developing, refurbishing and maintaining stores, owned warehouses and offices, as well as the purchase of products such as paper and marketing material used in its premises. 3. Acceptable Sources The Kingfisher Group and its Operating Companies will request and only accept, wood or wood containing product which can be classified as Certified, Well-managed or Recycled or, as a minimum, from sources which can be considered as Controlled : Certified Certified: Assessed by an independent third party to have achieved standards of forest management conformity defined by the corresponding standard setting organisation as well-managed/ sustainable; Well-managed: As a mechanism to support good forest management, Kingfisher accepts independent verifications of progress towards full certification; Well-managed or Recycled: (third party verified); Recycled Controlled Controlled: Sources which can offer evidence that all of the following categories have been avoided: Illegally harvested, transported or traded wood; Wood harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights; Wood harvested in forests where high conservation values are threatened by management activities; Wood harvested in forests being converted to plantations or non-forest use; Forest areas where stakeholders express concern regarding land and other rights issues.

5 Kingfisher Timber Guidelines Certified, Well-managed or Recycled : All Kingfisher Operating Companies will contribute to achieving the Group wide target to progressively increase the proportion of Certified, Well-managed or Recycled timber products, for which the following sources are currently accepted: FSC certified product with a full chain of custody; PEFC certified product with a full chain of custody (includes endorsed schemes: AFS, ATFS, Cerflor, CertforChile, CSA, EFCS, FFCS, SFI); Timber from forests that are formally working with our partners as part of an independent verification scheme to demonstrate progress towards certification (TFT projects, WWF GFTN members, Rainforest Alliance (SmartStep) participants); Verifiable recycled material. In some cases Kingfisher may choose to apply additional verifications should the credibility of a certificate be in doubt or to obtain further assurances that the source complies with our aim. As a stakeholder, Kingfisher remains committed to continual improvement of the forest certification schemes and, in order to guide our preferences, will regularly assess schemes against internal performance criteria and independent research. Globally, FSC is the closest to meeting fully our expectations and is therefore the preferred certification scheme of Kingfisher. Products which contain tree species classified as endangered will only be purchased if FSC certified and supported by an appropriate import/export permit. Tree species classified as vulnerable may also be accepted from a TFT project, Rainforest Alliance (SmartStep) participant or from a forest source working with WWF (GFTN). Kingfisher will regularly update a reference list which summarises the species listed on appendices I, II or III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) or classified as endangered or vulnerable by the International Union of Conservation Networks (IUCN). Products which contain these species are not acceptable under the mandatory minimum requirements below. For products which contain hardwood species sourced from the tropics: All Kingfisher Operating Companies will adopt the position where all products which contain hardwood species sourced from the tropics are Certified, Well managed or Recycled. All Kingfisher Operating Companies will request, and where available within equal business terms accept, either FSC certified sources with a full chain of custody, verifiable recycled material or timber sourced via a TFT project, Rainforest Alliance (SmartStep) participant or from a forest source working with WWF (GFTN).

6 4 Kingfisher Timber Guidelines 3.2. Mandatory Minimum Requirements: Controlled Kingfisher expects the Group and its suppliers of wood and wood-containing products to have mechanisms in place that ensure legality and avoid controversial forest sources, i.e. areas where there is significant debate and stakeholder concern regarding legal, social and environmental issues. If a product is not available Certified, Well-managed or Recycled it will not be accepted by Kingfisher or its Operating Companies unless the vendor can supply documentary evidence that all sources of timber used come from legally harvested forests and Controlled sources. Acceptable documentary evidence includes, but is not restricted to: Independently verifiable proof of legality, i.e. right to harvest; legal trade compliance; FLEGT-licensed timber (once available on the market); Independently verifiable proof of avoidance of controversial sources at the forest level, e.g. FSC Controlled Wood status; PEFC Avoidance of Controversial Sources status. If sufficient information is not readily available, vendors may be requested to undertake a third party audit to verify the legal and Controlled status of the source(s) or purchase negotiations will cease. In line with the Group target for 75% of timber volume sold to be Certified, Well managed or Recycled by 2010/11, all Kingfisher Operating Companies will be expected to progressively decrease the proportion of products sourced as compliant with mandatory minimum requirements only. 4. Visibility The following applies to all product for sale, regardless of the certified status: All Kingfisher Operating Companies will work with suppliers to understand and record the country of origin, volume and all tree species present in all products containing wood. This information must be obtained as a condition of supply. Kingfisher supports the principle of transparency and will seek to provide information about the wood content of a specified product. Where national government procurement policies are in place to support responsibly sourced timber products, Operating Companies are encouraged to align chain of custody, quality and traceability systems to certification standards as a means of enabling full traceability to trade customers working on government projects.

7 Kingfisher Timber Guidelines 5 5. Labelling When a complete chain of custody is in place and the policy has been adhered to, Kingfisher supports active promotion of Certified, Well-managed or Recycled products via the use of labels, marketing materials and informative signs. In order to be informative whilst avoiding creating confusion by the use of a variety of logos, Operating Companies may choose to use an informative statement. On-product: Kingfisher Operating Companies will endeavour to ensure that all Certified wood, wood-containing and paper products are labelled appropriately. In marketing material: Kingfisher Operating Companies will endeavour to ensure that all Certified, Well-managed or Recycled wood, wood-containing and paper products are appropriately identified with a corresponding logo and may choose to use informative text explaining the certification scheme or verification programme. At point of sale: Kingfisher Operating Companies will, wherever possible, inform customers of Certified, Well-managed or Recycled wood, wood containing and paper products. FSC logo (front cover) 1996 FSC. See for more details of our commitment to FSC. (FSC-SECR-2022).

8 Kingfisher plc 3 Sheldon Square, Paddington London W2 6PX +44 (0) For further information please contact: corporateresponsibility@kingfisher.com Kingfisher plc 2009